KUALA LUMPUR, 18 October 2015 – Tourism Malaysia has invited a total of 40 members of the media and bloggers from ASEAN countries to take part in the inaugural ASEAN Media Bloggers Tourism Hunt 2015 in a bid to promote Malaysia as a holiday destination among regional travelers.

Similar to a treasure hunt, the programme sees participants driving around Malaysia, engaging in local cultural activities, taking part in challenges and visiting various tourist attractions, as they see and explore the many exciting tourism offerings in Malaysia.

The Minister of Tourism and Culture YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz launched the race today at the Malaysia Tourist Information Centre (MATIC) in Jalan Ampang. Participants from Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia, were flagged off in 25 Proton-sponsored cars from MATIC before proceeding to Putrajaya and Port Dickson, and the final pit-stop in Melaka.

YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri said at the press conference, “The ASEAN Media Bloggers Tourism Hunt is especially created with the media and bloggers in mind to give them a new and exciting perspective of Malaysia as a tourist destination.”

He said, “This programme will help us to enhance relationships with members of the ASEAN media and bloggers. It’s a fun way to introduce and promote new destinations and products to the ASEAN market through the media and bloggers who have a popular following back home.”

“Moreover, the participants can assess for themselves the quality of infrastructure and safety of driving in Malaysia. The programme will help to promote Malaysia as a self-drive holiday destination,” he added.

Inspired by the treasure hunt concept, the Tourism Hunt is themed ”Fun and Enjoyable Drive to Experience Malaysia,” and will include elements such as explore race, fear factor, photo contest on Instagram, etc. All questions will be based on Malaysia’s tourist attractions and participants will get to experience Malaysia’s culture, heritage, art and cuisine as they complete each task.

One of the interesting elements of the Tourism Hunt is the photography competition where participants need to upload pictures of the Tourism Hunt activities to their Facebook and Instagram accounts. With social media being a popular promotional platform, along with the trend for “selfies” and “wefies,” this will help to promote Malaysia online to the followers of the ASEAN media and bloggers participating in this programme.

Sponsors for the programme included Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Sdn. Bhd., the main sponsor of the 25 Proton cars used to complete this Tourism Hunt; Felda Investment Corporation Sdn. Bhd.; The Grand Beach Resort, Port Dickson, for the accommodation; and Malaysia Airlines Berhad and Wonda Coffee.

The ASEAN market was the largest contributor to Malaysia’s tourist arrivals in 2014, with a total of 20.3 million tourists or 74.3% of the total tourist arrivals to Malaysia of 27.4 million. Total tourist receipts from ASEAN market amounted to RM46.3 billion or 64.3% of total tourist receipts of RM71.9 billion.

For the first quarter of 2015, however, the ASEAN market recorded a decline of 6.2% compared to the same period in 2014.